I'll Be There For You
by chinocoop81
Summary: Food references or not, she completes you in the weird and twisted way. You are Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, the seriously twisted yet awesome couple. Stop fighting it already. You’re a pretzel, and who doesn’t love that?” RM end of season 3


**A/N So what do you get when you play too much of the Wii and watch too much OC? This story. It's set right after Sadie leaves in season three. I wrote this because I don't have enough reviews yet to start writing for Lollypops and Letters. R/R, enjoy! **

Ryan Atwood was brooding. Not that he'd never done that before, but he was pretty pissed off that he was doing it again. He grabbed the soccer ball that always seemed to end up in mysterious places in the pool house and threw it as hard as he could across the room. His girlfriend, Sadie Campbell, had left him. It wasn't so much that she left, just that when she left, so had his happiness. As far as he could remember, he always had someone to brood about, or someone else's problems to fix. But when he met her, suddenly it was a completely free and cleared slate. Could you blame him for growing attached to that? Now that she was gone, so was the clean slate. Now it was back to brooding in the pool house…and who really likes to just brood all the time?

He sighed out loud, and then decided to just sigh again. Why was he so miserable? He'd been dumped by girls before, and he'd dumped his fair share. It wasn't even like he loved Sadie, just loved the fun he had with her. And why the hell was he starting to have dreams about Marissa? That part really got to him. There was no explanation whatsoever for it, but ever since Sadie left Newport, he started envisioning Marissa every single night. And it wasn't just sex dreams (though there was a fair share of those…) either. There were some where he was just looking at her and she'd smile and he'd get that fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach. And then he would see her crying and he'd reach out to comfort her, but then she'd just disappear. It was so frustrating and enraging that he would even think of her after all this time, after everything they'd been through…and yet whenever he closed his eyes, there she was.

After an hour of just laying there and thinking about what a bummer his life was at the moment, he finally got up and decided to go see what Seth was doing. Seth always served as a distraction when he didn't feel like talking. He walked into the main house where he heard excessively loud arguing about pointless things. "This is so wrong. I totally just hit that correctly and it calls it a foul! This game is stupid and childish." He heard Sandy yell.

"Well, father, some aren't mentally or physically equipped enough to handle the Wii. You're obviously one of those very few individuals who have no coordination when it comes to video games," Seth said, and Ryan can hear the annoyance in his voice. "Now stop blaming it on the game."

"It is the game's fault. I hit the golf ball in a good shot worthy enough for a hole-in-one, and I ended up getting it in the sand. I don't know why we bought this for you," Sandy said, annoyance and bitterness dripping on every word. Ryan walked further into the house and towards all the arguing.

"Oh, so you think that you're better than the Wii then, father?" Seth asked sardonically. "You can help defend Marissa's dad after he lost all that money, you could get Ryan out of jail, and you can defend a two time drug offender…but you can't hit a home run?"

Ryan walked into the room and saw Sandy was really, really angry. "Yes, because this is a stupid game system. You can't really know if you're good at all of these sports without actually playing them."

"Is that a challenge, dear father of mine?" Seth asked, his eyebrows raising in amusement. Ryan suddenly had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the way this ended up.

"Yes, son, that is a challenge," Sandy said, nodding and putting his hands on his hips. He paced back and forth and said, "We'll set up a bunch of games. We'll work on teams!"

Seth nodded and put one hand on his side while rubbing his chin with his other. "Yes, we'll have a game of basketball, baseball…maybe even a guitar playing contest?"

"Guitar playing contest?" Sandy asked, looking at his son. "What does that have to do with sports?"

"Nothing, but think of Guitar Hero," Seth said with a roll of his eyes. Then, Ryan swore there was a light bulb going off in Seth's head. "No, not a guitar playing contest, but a Battle of the Bands!"

Sandy pondered this in his head, a grim expression on his face. Then he nodded and said, "Okay, that seems suitable enough. How are we going to get our teams?"

Seth thought about it and sighed. "I don't know, dad. Ryan, Summer, and Marissa will have to be on my team…" He looked up and saw Ryan. "Ryan, buddy! Just in time to help us decide the teams." He waved Ryan over wit his hand and thought about it. "Well, you guys could always get Julie Cooper to be on your team…or Caitlin. I hear she's quite the bass player…"

Ryan looked at Seth confusedly and asked, "What? When did you hear that?"

Seth looked at Ryan and shrugged. "Okay, maybe I didn't so much as hear it as just made it up." He raised his eyebrows at Ryan and asked, "So…what instrument do you think you can play?"

"I'll do drums," Ryan said with a sigh, deciding it was best to just go along with Seth.

Seth smiled and patted Ryan on the back. "Good job, buddy! I knew you'd appreciate all those times we played Rock Band after all." Ryan just rolled his eyes and Seth said, "Oh, I need you to go call Summer and Marissa while I work out the different competitions and teams."

"Seth, I…can't," Ryan said, not wanting to call Marissa. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and that alone freaked him out enough. Imagine if he heard her voice. Then he really would be screwed.

Seth nodded and said, "You can and will. Come on, it's two girls. What's the most harm that they could do?" Seth walked away, and Ryan sighed.

He went to the pool house and grabbed his cell phone, flipping it open. He pressed one on speed dial and the name 'Marissa' popped up. He wondered why he still had her on speed dial, but quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He pressed talk and put the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring and hoping that she'd pick up but praying that she wouldn't at the same time. He heard someone answer the phone and heard a breathless, "Hello?"

"Hey…" He said, that being the only word he could form at the moment. He hadn't expected for all the familiar feelings to rush back. How could one small word have such a monumental effect on him?

"Ryan…um, hey…" She said, sounding a bit distracted, but really confused. He didn't blame her. The last call they'd had had been when he'd broken up with her. He thought back to that last call and started to feel really bad. A phone call? Why'd he do that? He could've at least went over and talked to her. He imagined her running a hand through her hair and biting her bottom lip. "So…what's up?"

"Right. Um, well, see…" He said, not sure how to phrase what he was trying to say. It was odd, even to him. "Okay, so here's the deal. Seth and Sandy got into an argument over the Wii and now Seth has volunteered me, you, and Summer to play on his team and beat Sandy, Kirsten, and whoever else is going to be on their team…." He sighed, annoyed with Seth for making him sound so stupid.

He heard Marissa giggle a little and asked, "So that's why you called me then? To recruit me for the team?"

He nodded, even though she couldn't see it and said, "Yeah, I guess." He wanted to ask how she was doing, but he couldn't bring himself to go off topic. Actually talking with her couldn't lead anywhere good, especially considering he'd just gotten out of a relationship with Sadie.

"Okay, tell Seth I'll be over in a half hour. I'll go get Summer too," She said, amusement in her voice. It felt good to hear her happy after such a long time of pure drama.

"Thanks…bye.." he said, his voice softening. He wanted to say so much more for some reason, but he remained quiet.

"Bye."

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Ryan needed to talk to Seth, and now. Marissa and Summer were sitting in the living room and having Marissa so close was beginning to drive him crazy. Ryan went looking for Seth and found him in the pool house, going through a phone book. "Who knew there were so many places to play baseball in Newport," Seth said, not looking up when Ryan entered. Ryan didn't say anything so Seth looked up and asked, "What's up?"

Ryan wrung his hands nervously and walked further into the pool house, not sure how to approach the topic. Seth never had problems talking, but him…well, he'd always been the strong-silent type. Seth raised his eyebrows, seeing that it was important and Ryan said, "Well…I uh…have a problem…"

Seth rolled his eyes and said, "Right, because Sadie left. Man, you have to stop beating yourself up over this. She had other things to do, probably including making jewelry and dating her other cousins' love's boyfriends….if you can understand that. I'm not sure I can understand that sentence myself.." Seth stood up after a moment of trying to analyze the statement, and said, "Now, I have to go to get the teams all sorted out. I'm a popular man today, Ryan A." He laughed at himself and asked, "Who knew I was so poetic?"

Ryan rolled his eyes and stopped Seth. "What about my problem? We didn't finish.."

Seth rolled his eyes and put a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Buddy, look over there." He pointed towards the house and Ryan rolled his eyes.

"It's the house, Seth. I've seen the house a lot," he said.

"No, not that," Seth said with a sigh. "Look inside the house, right there in the kitchen. What do you see?"

Ryan followed Seth's instructions and looked at the Cohen kitchen. Sandy and Kirsten were there, Sandy explaining something to Kirsten and Kirsten rolling her eyes and getting mad at Sandy. Then he saw it. Her. Marissa. She was laughing with Summer, looking at Sandy and Kirsten. Her mouth was curled up in a happy smile, her eyes twinkled. The sound coming out of her was so sweet, melodic, yet bubbly and childish. "I don't know…people," He said quietly, never taking his eyes off of Marissa.

Seth patted Ryan's back and said, "The answer to your question is closer than you think." He walked off, leaving Ryan to ponder what that meant.

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A half hour later, everyone was in heavy debate on who was going to be on Sandy and Kirsten's team. They argued for someone from Seth's team to be on theirs so that it was 3 - 3, but Seth was against that idea, believing that the fantastic four should be together. So they continued to debate until Sandy decided that they could actually ask Julie to be on their team. Everyone, especially Marissa, got a kick out of that one, but he went and called her regardless. She promised to be there as soon as she could. Sandy returned and said, "Okay, now it's still unfair. You guys have four people and we have three."

Everyone debated this in their minds, and then Marissa said, "Wait…I actually know someone who could play on your team." Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"Really, who?" Seth asked, his eyebrows raised, his face questioning.

"Kevin," She said, waiting to see everyone's reaction. Ryan immediately tensed up where he was. He'd completely forgotten about that idiot, and especially forgotten that she'd been "dating" him. His fists clenched at his sides and his eyes narrowed.

Seth looked at Ryan's reaction and smiled amusedly. "This could get interesting."

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That night, Ryan went to Seth's room and knocked on the door. "Seth!" He called, but got no reply. He glared at the door and knocked harder. "Seth!" He hissed harshly. "Open up your door!" He continued to knock and knock until Seth opened the door, a smirk on his annoying face.

"Yes, Ryan? Is there something that you want?" Seth asked, leaning on the door frame. "I was kind of working out our game strategy."

Ryan pushed past him and walked further into the room. "What game strategy?"

Seth followed him and said, "Yeah, exactly. All winners have a strategy."

"Our strategy is me trying not to beat Volchok's ass…or yours for agreeing to let him play for your parents," Ryan said, picking up Captain Oats and staring at the horse.

Seth innocently said, "They needed an extra player…and who better than Marissa's hunky boyfriend that probably wants to kill you and messed up my parent's car? Really, I see some good bonding time for them." Ryan glared at Seth and Seth held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, fine! What do you want me to say then? That they're not allowed to have a fourth player? That Ryan doesn't like him, so we automatically can't play against him? Like it or not, he's Marissa's boyfriend." Seth suddenly became serious. "And like it or not, he's going to be around, buddy. Maybe you should just get used to it, and this is a good way to do that."

Ryan shook his head and said, "No, I will not get used to him. He's not right for her." He added in his mind that no one was.

Seth sighed and said, "You lost your chance to say anything about Volchok or any guy she dates for that matter the minute you broke up with her, and you know that."

Ryan knew deep down that Seth was right, and boy did he hate it when that happened.

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Day one of the games started the next day at the baseball field. Seth lined everybody up and said, "Okay, so we don't have enough players to play a real game of baseball, but we can manage. We'll have a batter, pitcher, field people, and if you want, you can be assigned a base. It all depends on you though." Seth smiled and said, "Alright, let's play ball!"

Ryan rolled his eyes and the rest of the group dispersed. "Play ball, Seth? That was really lame."

"Well, I'm not known for coolness," Seth said to Ryan, brushing off his comment. "Alright, buddy….what do you say, you be batter first? My dad wanted their team to throw."

Ryan nodded and said, "Fine, I'll be batter first…but you can't say play ball again."

Seth shrugged and said, "Okay, it's a fair deal."

Ryan went up to the plate with the metal baseball bat. He put on his gloves, the helmet, and got ready. Much to his dismay, Volchok was the pitcher. He smirked at Ryan and threw a fastball, causing Ryan to get his first strike. He glared at the ball and got serious. Volchok threw a curveball (everyone was shocked), and Ryan swung and missed. Volchok smirked once again and shouted over to him, "I didn't know you sucked at baseball! Looks like one more thing I'll take from you."

Ryan tightened his jaw and clutched the bat so hard that his hands hurt. Then he loosened his grip a bit and waited for the ball. He watched as Volchok wound the ball back behind his head, then threw it in a perfect arc. He measured it in his head and right when the ball was in range, he swung the bat, causing it to collide with the ball. He didn't notice where it went, because he dropped the bat and just started running. His legs traveled as fast as they could, and he got all the way to third base…that was how far he'd hit it. He smirked smugly at Volchok who was just rolling his eyes.

Next at bat was Marissa, who if we were to be completely honest, sucked at baseball. And watching her flirt with Volchok was sickening to say the least. "Come on, babe…it's a baseball, not a bomb!" Volchok yelled to her.

"But I'm afraid that it's going to hit me!" Marissa giggled back, batting her eyelashes at Volchok. "Maybe you could go easy on me…"

"I'm never easy on you, you know that," He replied, a powerful smirk on his face. "In fact, I work you hard…" Ryan wanted to find something to throw at the guy, but he couldn't find anything. So he just clenched his fists and got prepared to run as Marissa barely tapped the ball, causing everyone to scramble for the ball. Ryan got to home, Marissa got to second, and Summer was up to bat. Ryan walked over to Seth and glared.

"I hate that guy," he growled, glaring in the general direction of Volchok. "The only reason he's with her is to get to me."

Seth squinted in the sun and then covered his eyes, not looking at Ryan, but focusing on the game. "Well, it's working, isn't it?" He asked.

"What's working?" Ryan replied.

"Getting to you buy using Marissa…it's working," Seth pointed out, glancing over at his best friend. "And the only reason it's working, is because you obviously have feelings for Marissa."

"I do not have feelings for Marissa," He shot back quickly. "I mean…I can't have feelings for Marissa. She's Marissa."

"Exactly my point," Seth said. "Oh, look at that! Summer got a home run." He turned to Ryan and questioned, "Why is it crazy to have feelings for Marissa when just this past September you actually asked my dad for permission to see if she could stay with us. You would have never done that for anyone else, man. And what about punching out the Dean of Discipline for laying an arm on her? And the time that you were going to kill your brother to avenge her honor. Marissa Cooper is the cheese to your macaroni, the jelly to your peanut butter, the butter to your toast, the cream cheese to your bagels--"

"Okay, you can stop with the food references now," Ryan said annoyed.

Seth shrugged and said, "Well, food references or not, she completes you in the weird and twisted way. You are Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, the seriously twisted yet awesome couple. Stop fighting it already. You're a pretzel, and who doesn't love that?"

Ryan sighed and said, "Whatever, you're up to bat." He leaned against the fence dejectedly.

"Hey, don't cry, there's no crying in baseball!" Seth said. Ryan glared and he apologetically said, "Sorry, ever since I saw _A League of Their Own_, I've wanted to say that."

"Just go bat, Seth," Ryan mumbled, wanting to be alone with his thoughts of a certain Marissa Cooper.

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The next day was basketball, and then they had to be at their band lessons at three, so everyone agreed that Ryan and Volchok should play one-on-one, first one to five wins. Ryan arrived at the gym early so that he could work out. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and some gray gym shorts that reached down to his knees. He started to stretch when he saw Marissa enter the gym. He looked up at her face and their eyes met briefly, the connection still as strong as the first time he'd ever seen her, but then she looked down and tucked a strand of her light brown hair behind her ear. "Uh, hey," She said, her voice quiet.

"Hey," He said, briefly smiling at her. He continued to stretch, trying not to let the fact that they were the only two in the gym alone get to him. His heart started pounding as she sat down on the bleachers a few feet from where he was. "So you and Volchok…" he said after a minute of awkward silence.

She nodded and said, "Yeah…what about us?" She avoided his gaze, looking down at her nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"How did that happen?" He asked, tentatively going to sit down next to her on the bleacher.

"Well, after you broke up with me on the phone, he was there and I was lonely…" She said, a trace of bitterness in her voice. She glanced over at him and shrugged.

He sighed and said, "I'm sorry…about everything. I've been thinking lately and--"

She quickly cut him off and said, "It doesn't matter anymore. We're over, just like you wanted, and I'm with Kevin. And I'm actually happy for once."

"You've been happy with me before," He replied sullenly.

She nodded and said, "Yeah, and then you broke up with me for my dead best friend's cousin who surprisingly never even grieved his death. So that kind of ruined any chance of happiness I could've had with you." She let out a long sigh, and then said, "You know what? We shouldn't even talk about this. We're over, so therefore it's over." She stood up and walked away. Just then Volchok entered with everyone towing in behind him. "Hey," She said, smiling and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hey," He replied, leaning in and kissing her. Ryan felt as though someone was stabbing him in the heart as he watched them start to make out. Seth walked over to him and followed his gaze.

He patted Ryan's back and said, "No fouling out alright? We lost at baseball because you kept throwing the ball at the guy when you pitched, giving him tons of free walks. Now I don't want you to let this get to your head. Just think about the game and forget the rest."

A couple of minutes later when they were playing, Ryan tried his best to remember what Seth said. No such luck. All he could remember was Marissa sticking her tongue down that jackass's throat in front of everyone, including her mom who just shrugged it off indifferently, already used to random acts of gross images from her daughter. So that made playing a game of basketball without fouling Volchok very, very difficult. But regardless, he ended up winning 5-3. Gosh it felt good to beat Volchok at something.

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Band practice consisted of Seth goofing around while singing, Marissa being surprisingly okay at guitar, Summer being an expert bass player, and Ryan doing good at drums. After that was over, they all met up with the other team and everyone went out to dinner. Volchok was well behaved for once, sitting next to Marissa and being polite. It was Ryan that made the snide comments and rude remarks. "So, Kevin, tell us about your place. Marissa says you live on your own?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah, because no one else will put up with him," Ryan mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Volchok just gave an easy smile and said, "Yeah, I have my own place. I work construction sometimes…sometimes I do other jobs…"

"Yeah, beating up people and probably selling drugs…" Ryan said quietly, but Marissa heard him and he looked away from her angry eyes.

Later on after dinner, Ryan retreated to the pool house when they arrived home. He thought about Marissa and the way the restaurant's light made her face seem God-like…even though she always looked that way to him. He remembered the way her eyes sparkled and her smile came easy and relaxed, not forced like it had the last couple of months with him. He noted the way she clung to Volchok's arm and it killed him to know that it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't broken up with her. He was quietly brooding when he heard the door open and looked up in time to see Marissa storm into the pool house. "What the hell was that all about?!" She asked angrily.

"What was what about?" He asked indifferently.

"Dinner. All those comments. What has he done to you lately? He's changing, Ryan," she said, throwing her arms up in the air and pacing.

"He's not changing, he's still the same guy," Ryan said, standing up now. He sighed and said, "He's not right for you, Marissa."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, you gave up the right to tell me who was right for me when you broke up with me….over the phone for crying out loud. Your words don't mean anything to me anymore."

"I've been thinking lately about that…a whole lot actually," He said softly. He took a step towards her, knowing that he needed to get this out. "I can't get you off my mind. I try to, I really do, but you're always right there when I close my eyes--"

"No!" She shouted, walking away from him. "No, you do not have the right to do this. I just got over you and now this?" Angry tears formed in her eyes and started to spill over. "I don't want to hear it!" She started to turn.

"Marissa, I still love you," He said, finishing what he was going to say. "And I know that I messed up…but I want to make it up to you. I want to show you that we can be good again, just like we used to…back before everything came and ruined us."

"Not everything ruined us, Ryan," She said bitterly. "That was all you. I wasn't the one who wanted to end our relationship…that was all you. I needed you and you just left me."

"Well, you didn't put up a fight," he argued in his defense. "You didn't even come to my birthday party, even though I invited you."

"You didn't want me, you wanted Sadie. That was clear…it was clear the moment that she came. You wanted someone that didn't have any extra baggage. When the going got tough, you left me for her. So don't even say you love me after that," She said, the tears now coming fast and hard. She tried to wipe them, and laughed bitterly. "And I had always thought that you would never hurt me again. I guess I was wrong." She stormed out of the pool house, just as angry, if not more so, than when she came in. He sighed and sat down on his bed, wondering how he could fix things.

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The Battle of the Bands was the final event. It was tied, this would decide the winner. Both teams pretty much sucked at playing, but it was a question of who sucked more. Ryan went up to Seth before the event and whispered something into his ear. Seth grinned and nodded. "I think it's a great idea."

Ryan nodded, his face grim. "I just hope it works."

Everyone got quiet, and Sandy's team played their song, Can't Stop Loving You, by Van Halen. The audience - a bunch of Newpsies - were all clapping and cheering when they were done. Seth's team got set up and Ryan's palms started to sweat. He wiped them on his jeans and swallowed the lump in his throat. Seth tapped the microphone and said, "Okay, well…we're going to play a song called, I'll Be There For You, by Bon Jovi. Originally I was going to sing…" He looked over at Ryan and winked. "…But now we're going to have our very own Ryan Atwood take the Mike…Ryan?"

Ryan walked up to the front of the stage, looking directly at Marissa. She was staring at him wide eyes, slightly angry, her eyes a little puffy from the obvious crying she'd been doing. He cleared his throat and said, "Okay…um…I figured if Ashton Kutcher could do it, so could I.." The Newpsies all laughed, some making comments about how 'hot' Ashton Kutcher was. "Um….this is dedicated to someone…I think she knows who she is…" He looked at Marissa, letting their eyes connect and then said, "See…she doesn't think that I can possibly love her after what I've done, and maybe I don't deserve her forgiveness…" He trailed off and saw her eyes start to tear up again. "But I know that I love her, and I'm not going to let her get away. Alright, let's get started."

Their band starts playing and then he starts singing. "I guess you're really leaving…" His eyes never stray Marissa's body for one moment, but she had to play the guitar so she looked down at where her fingers were supposed to be. All in all, they did okay. Ryan's voice was a bit pitchy, Summer messed up once or twice, and Marissa played guitar okay, but not wonderfully. Seth though did a pretty good job and everyone was impressed.

When it was over, Ryan put the microphone up and went backstage to the area where only Seth's team was allowed. He sat down on a couch and then saw Marissa walking towards him. He immediately stood and looked into her eyes, trying to measure how she was feeling. She looked down, and played with her hands nervously before looking back into his eyes and said, "So…that was…"

When she trailed off, he finished her thought for her. "Stupid…I know." He sighed, feeling upset and defeated.

She shook her head and took a step towards him. "No, I was going to say completely romantic. I never knew you were one to go serenading people." She smiled through tears and laughed a little.

He took a small step towards her hesitantly and said, "Well…it was for a good cause." He gave her his famous half smile that he knew she loved and angled his head at her. "I'm so sorry…for everything. I was stupid with Trey and then with Johnny…" He let out a long sigh and softly said, "I never should've broken up with you. Maybe if I hadn't…you wouldn't be with Volchok…"

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not with Volchok anymore though." He put his hands on her hips and raised his eyebrows, questioning her with just a look. "Okay…so I may have broken up with him last night after we talked…"

"I thought you weren't going to let my feelings bother you," He said, leaning in closer to her, smelling her sweet shampoo.

"I didn't," She said honestly. She gave him a small smile and said, "It was my feelings for you that made me break up with him…because no matter what…I can't get over you." She looked into his eyes, then down at his lips, leaning closer and closer…

"Hey guys, they're about to announce the winners…oh…sorry," Seth said with a smirk.

Ryan glared at him and pulled away from Marissa. He looked at Marissa and said, "We should go see who won." She nodded and he grabbed her hand. She smiled at him and laced their fingers together.

"The votes are in and the winner is…Seth's team!"

"Yes!!" Seth shouted, raising his hands in the air. Ryan and Marissa laughed, then turned to each other and smiled lovingly.

"I hate to say it, but I'm glad Seth did this…" Ryan said, wrapping his arms around Marissa once again. "Who knows what it would've taken for me to finally admit that I want you back…"

Marissa smiled and said, "It doesn't matter now." Then she leaned in and kissed him, and he couldn't have been happier with anyone else.


End file.
